In a Dream
by Skalidra
Summary: Written for a prompt on LJ, ShuuheixShirosaki. Yaoi, lemon, all those good things.


Summary: Written for a prompt on LJ, bleachyaoi. The prompt was:

1) Prompt: Cold

Shuuhei got injured during the winter war and while lying sick with a very high temperature, he wanders around in the inner worlds of other people as something like a yuurei.

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><p>Shuuhei twisted and turned, locked inside a dark, twisting realm that didn't seem to have any exit. Shadows curled around his body, alternating between strangling and soothing. A deep-seated pain was pressing against his stomach, throbbing in time with the unnaturally loud pounding of his heart. He was dimly aware of voices speaking above and around him, but the words, if that was even what they were, made no sense to him. Sweat was beaded on his body, but concentrated on his chest and forehead.<p>

He struggled to remember what had happened, why he was like this, but his mind worked slowly. Eventually a memory surfaced. A grinning face, half covered by white bone, and a wordless shout of triumph, before an intense surge of pain. The memory disappeared, faded back into the blackness that had consumed him.

Then, even the twisting shadows faded, replaced with an endless black, a slight light shining from a distance away. Somehow, Shuuhei traveled towards that light, even though he didn't have a defined body in the void. It grew brighter, eventually the blackness was only dancing on the edges of his vision, almost completely obscured by the light. He moved just slightly closer, and there was a bright flash, blinding him for a moment before he shut whatever he was seeing with tight against it. A sickening lurch, as if he was falling, before he slammed against a hard surface, sudden pain wiping away the fog obscuring his mind.

He groaned before opening his eyes, frowning slightly when he glanced around. He was lying on hard dirt, in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by what looked like a jungle. He pushed himself up to kneeling and then to standing, glancing down. He was wearing a white kimono tied by a simple sash, and the armbands that he always wore. No shoes, no socks, nothing else. He raised a hand to his neck and found he was wearing his usual choker too. Well that was just… odd.

He picked a random direction and started walking, noting that, strangely enough, it didn't hurt when he stepped on things. The jungle was thick, though a thin path seemed to open up wherever he started to go. He slowly became aware of voices, argumentative and angry. He walked closer, curiosity overwhelming the small part of his brain that was telling him that something was wrong.

"_Calm down! He's a warrior! If he was injured then it's his own fault! Besides, it's not like he's going to die, you're overreacting!" _The voice was strange, like two laid over each other, speaking in sync.

"You try looking at someone that you care for and is that strong be that helpless! See if you can keep yourself calm!" Shuuhei's eyes widened, that was Renji's voice. Suddenly, everything clicked into place. The other voice, or voices, was Zabimaru, he was inside Renji's inner world. He backed away, turning from the voices. No matter how he had gotten here, he had no right. He had no right to be someplace that was so private, so personal. He didn't want to be here.

The moment he thought that the world disappeared in a flash of light, once again blinding him. He automatically threw an arm up to protect his eyes, shutting them tightly. He waited till the glare on his eyelids faded before cautiously opening them, immediately letting out an undignified yelp and falling backwards. It took him a good minute to realize that he was not going to fall off, and he cautiously released his death grip on the 'ground', sitting up. This world was _messed up_. He was sitting on a sideways blue skyscraper, in the middle of a window. Clouds floated by overhead, sideways of course, there didn't seem to be an end to the skyscrapers, they extended as far as he could see in both directions.

Curiosity got the best of him and he cautiously stood, hands clenching the fabric of the white kimono. He had no idea whose world this was, and he was interested to know exactly who was so screwed up. He quickly found out that jumps were effortless in this world, probably so a person could get from one skyscraper to another without risk of falling. He wandered for awhile, marveling at how _bare _the world was, before he spotted a speck of white against the blue of the skyscraper he was on. He walked up towards it, eyes narrowed to try and see what it was. He realized, once he was closer, that it was a person.

It was sitting on a ledge, thankfully at a point where the skyscraper thinned as opposed to at the edge. One leg was drawn up, the other hanging, both arms draped over the upraised knee. It had on an inversed outfit of the shinigami's outfit, absolutely white but trimmed in black. Short, spiky, white hair and white skin completed the look. Shuuhei couldn't see the face from where he was, but the figure was incredibly familiar. It suddenly struck him where he'd seen that type of hair before.

"Kurosaki?" he asked quietly, he thought it wasn't loud enough for the person to notice.

The figure's head snapped around, black and gold eyes narrowed but holding traces of shock. He twisted and stood effortlessly, eyes pinning Shuuhei to the spot. He knew, deep inside, this wasn't Ichigo. It looked exactly like him apart from the colors, but the manner was completely different. "Who are you?" the man hissed, his voice had a strange distorted quality, but underneath it was also Ichigo's. Shuuhei stepped back, unwilling to confront whoever this was.

"Oi! Answer me ya asshole! Who are ya and how'd ya get in here?" When Shuuhei didn't answer the man stepped forward in shunpo, hand closing around his arm, and yanked him back again with more shunpo. Shuuhei felt himself slammed back against a wall, he realized he was against the back of the ledge. White hands with black nails were curled into the cloth at his shoulders, gripping tight. "Who are you?"

Shuuhei appraised the person for a second before answering, voice calm and serious. "Hisagi Shuuhei, acting captain of the ninth division." He had no idea if this creature even knew what that was, but it was worth a try.

Black and golden eyes widened slightly before he was released and a grin split the mouth, looking out of place on the familiar face. "Shuuhei eh? Now how'd ya get in here? Ain't every day an 'acting captain of the ninth division' shows up in this place."

"I don't know." Shuuhei replied, relaxing slightly when it seemed like the creature was no longer about to attack him. "The last thing I remember I was fighting an arrancar, then I passed out and wound up here."

The black and golden eyes narrowed for a moment and the head cocked slightly to the left. "Hey, I remember that. King made a big fuss 'bout it, felt like he didn't do enough to protect ya guys. But what are ya doing here? Ya got pulled back to Soul Society when ya were injured."

Shuuhei shrugged, inspecting the creature before him. "Like I said, I don't know." His eyes narrowed slightly, one hand rising to run through his black hair. "Exactly whose world is this?"

The creature snorted, rolling his eyes. "Come on. Ya gotta have some sorta guess. With me here, and who else but King would have such a screwed up mind?"

Shuuhei sighed, glancing around. "Kurosaki?"

The creature threw his arms in the air, spinning in a circle. "And he gets it in one!" He came to a stop, dropping his arms back to his sides. The mouth once again split into a grin, a blue tongue was just barely visible through the teeth.

"Then you must be Zangetsu…"

The black and golden eyes went wide for a second before the creature started giggling, soon reduced to clutching at his stomach as he laughed, head thrown back. It made Shuuhei wonder two things. The first was how any respectable male could make a noise that high pitched, the second was what exactly what he had said to get such a reaction.

"A-As if…" The creature managed to get out, slowly calming himself down. "Zangetsu's freaking _boring_. Besides, since when are zanpakuto spirits an inverse of their holder? Nah, I'm not Zangetsu, he's off somewhere else. Give it another guess."

Shuuhei's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, giving the albino a look. "I know of nothing else you could be."

The creature stepped closer, head tilted back to meet Shuuhei's eyes. "Ya should know this Shuuhei… Just take a look at me. I look the exact opposite of him, so what am I? What is it that's directly opposite a shinigami?"

Shuuhei's eyes widened slightly, the answer was clear. "Hollow."

The grin widened, black and golden eyes narrowed and amused. "Exactly." He stepped back, holding out a hand. "I'm Shirosaki, or Shiro, nice to meet you."

Shuuhei cautiously took the hand, giving it a shake. "You already know who I am, so there's no need to introduce myself. I'm afraid I have nothing to say."

Shirosaki shrugged, not letting go of his hand. "No problem, I'm used to silence. After all, who am I supposed to talk to in this place? Zangetsu's a bore, and our high and mighty King rarely visits." The head cocked again, hand releasing Shuuhei's. "Yer hot."

Shuuhei ignored the implications and decided to think that the hollow was talking about how hot his temperature was. "You're cold."

"I meant it both ways." Shirosaki clarified, black and gold eyes wandering in a way that made Shuuhei just a little uncomfortable. "But yer free to take it whatever way ya want."

Strangely Shuuhei couldn't decide whether to feel flattered by the compliment or if he should just back away. That was answered when he realized with his back against the wall he couldn't back up. "I suppose I should say thank you then."

Shirosaki stretched before shrugging again. "Like I said, take it how ya want."

Shuuhei let his eyes roam over Shirosaki when he turned and walked away, narrowing them. The hollow was strange, but attractive. Ichigo was attractive, in an entirely different way, but Shirosaki had taken those looks and then added a feral quality to them. It was, to say the least, very alluring. "Shirosaki."

The hollow turned, grinning back at him. "Wha' is it Shuuhei?"

Shuuhei stepped forward, having come to a decision about the silent question he was asking himself. He laid his left hand onto the hollow's shoulder, the black and gold eyes narrowed in suspicion but Shirosaki didn't pull away. "I suppose I should say, despite what I said before, that you're also hot."

Shirosaki's eyes widened for a second before the grin that had faded returned full force. "Am I now? That's nice of ya." He didn't move when Shuuhei's hand slipped up his neck and into the white hair. "So what do ya intend to do now that we've both come to terms with our mutual hotness?"

Shuuhei let a small smile slip onto his face, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the white lips. "Why?" he murmured against the skin, keeping his eyes closed. "Did you have an idea?"

"Mmmm… Ya do realize I'm a hollow?"

Shuuhei drew back just slightly, eyes opening to look at Shirosaki. "At this point, I am fairly certain I'm lying in a bed somewhere in Soul Society with an intense fever. Anything I'm seeing here could just be a product of my mind, telling me what I think or want to know. Besides, I find it highly unlikely, even if you are real, that we'll ever meet again. Considering you are a part of Kurosaki that I have never seen."

Shirosaki grinned, black and golden eyes glittering with amusement. "King's tried pretty hard to keep me a secret. You've got a point. Though I'm not sure whether to feel insulted ya don't think I'm real, or amused that ya think your brain could come up with something like _me_." He shot Shuuhei a warning glare when he moved closer, eyes sparking. "Hey, just remember I _am _a hollow. No gentle stuff ya dumbass." Shirosaki pushed upwards, joining their lips together with more force.

Shuuhei gripped a handful of the white hair, pulling Shirosaki's head back. "We do this my way, or not at all. Understand?"

Shirosaki's eyes narrowed and the grin faded before he looked away, snorting. "Whatever."

Shuuhei leaned closer, brushing light kisses along the white jaw. Shirosaki shuddered, twisting his head as if to pull away. Shuuhei subtly turned them around before pushing Shirosaki back, pressing him against the back of the ledge. "Relax." he ordered, moving down to brush lips against the white neck. Shirosaki made a small noise that Shuuhei interpreted as acceptance, turning his head away. Shuuhei's free hand slipped up the hollow's left shoulder, hooking on the collar of the white gi and pulling it open to bare the white skin. The muscles were firm under his hand, flexing with every minute shift Shirosaki made. He lightly bit down on the sensitive skin of the smaller man's neck, rolling the skin between his teeth before gently licking it. He blinked in surprise when a shudder swept through the hollow, left hand coming up to clutch at his back and shoulder.

He experimented, repeating the light lick and receiving an equal shudder and a tightened grip on his shoulder. He moved up, letting his tongue come out to lick a path along the white jaw and up to the ear. Shirosaki squirmed, letting out a frustrated but pleasured sound.

"Stop teasing me!" he snarled, though it was perilously close to a whine.

Shuuhei ignored him, smiling slightly against the porcelain skin before his tongue swiped out, tracing the pale ear. He received a surprised gasp, before the hollow squirmed again, right hand shooting up to mirror his left. He could feel the nails scrape his skin even through the cloth, and spared a second to wince at the thought of those same nails being on him without the protective cloth barrier. He continued to lick the ear and surrounding skin, hands lightly restraining the squirming hollow.

"God! Do _something_!"

Shuuhei chuckled slightly, drawing back and meeting the annoyed but glazed eyes. "I am doing something Shirosaki. Unless of course you'd like me to stop?"

"I'd _like _ya to stop teasing me and actually do _something_!"

Shuuhei debated ignoring the hollow's order but decided fairly quickly that an annoyed Shirosaki wouldn't be healthy for either of them. He leaned forward, pressing their lips together, and poked at the crease of Shirosaki's lips with his tongue. Shirosaki cautiously opened his mouth, letting Shuuhei's tongue in to taste him. Shuuhei couldn't quite pin the taste, something close to copper, but softer. Whatever it was, he decided he liked the taste. Shirosaki was hesitant at first, which amused Shuuhei since he'd been the one to demand that the vice-captain do something. But the hollow quickly grew bolder, twisting their tongues together and darting in to take little tastes of his own.

They were eventually forced to part from lack of air, white and tan skin flushed equally. The hollow gave him a look, hands tightening. "Ya taste like mint." he stated flatly, one eyebrow raised. "Ya know how cliché that is?"

Shuuhei couldn't hold back a snort, dark eyes glittering with amusement. "Cliché? That doesn't seem like a word you use much." Shirosaki glared at him, digging his nails into Shuuhei's shoulders. "No offense meant." Shuuhei added, wincing slightly. Shirosaki relaxed the hands, sliding forward to push his nose into Shuuhei's throat, lapping at the fragile skin with his tongue.

"Better not have meant it…" he murmured, suddenly biting down on the skin he'd been licking.

Shuuhei went rigid for a second before relaxing, arching against the teeth and tongue. He released his hold on Shirosaki's hair, letting the hand slip down to the sash holding the gi together. Deft fingers untied the knot, letting the sash slip to the ground in a puddle around the white creature. His hand traveled back up, pushing the white cloth off equally pale shoulders and leaning down to lavish his attention on the skin. Shirosaki shuddered, arching his neck and head away, abandoning Shuuhei's neck and letting black and golden eyes slip closed. Shuuhei let his hands roam Shirosaki's chest and sides, feeling each ridge and plane of the defined muscles.

Shirosaki released a groan when Shuuhei's hand grazed his left nipple, already stiffened from the attention. "F-fuck… Do that again." Shuuhei smirked but obliged, rubbing his palm along the sensitive skin. Shirosaki pressed against the wall, trembling slightly. "Fuck!"

Shuuhei followed him, now using both hands to rub and pinch the stiffened nipples, receiving muttered curses and harsh trembling. His mouth licked and sucked at Shirosaki's neck and shoulder, leaving dark marks that were clearly visible against the white skin. He decided to up the stakes, shifting slightly and pressing his hips against the hollow's, feeling a hardness that matched his own. Shirosaki yelped and jerked, throwing his head back against the wall, nails digging at Shuuhei's back. Black and gold eyes were startled, clearly he hadn't been expecting something like that. Sudden realization struck Shuuhei, explaining the hollow's behavior, and his strange acceptance of Shuuhei taking the lead. Assuming that he wasn't hallucinating, Shirosaki was part of Ichigo, who was hopelessly innocent. He ground against Shirosaki, putting added force into it.

"_Fuck_!" Shirosaki yelled, jerking against Shuuhei. His pupils were dilated, his nails would be drawing blood if they weren't blocked by the cloth.

Shuuhei leaned closer, speaking softly in Shirosaki's ear. "Virgin?" he asked, leaning back to see Shirosaki's reaction. The hollow froze for a second before flushing, looking away.

"What if I am?" he snapped, hands clenching in the cloth he was gripping.

"It'll hurt more." Shuuhei warned, stroking the exposed skin and noting the shudder.

"I can handle pain." Shirosaki spat, black and golden eyes meeting his with utter certainty. "Whatever you can dish out, I can take." A sudden perverse grin stretched across his face and the hollow threw his head back, tugging Shuuhei closer and spreading his legs to make room. "Do your worst." he hissed, a challenge glinting in his eyes.

Shuuhei was vastly tempted by the offer, he'd always had a hidden fascination with kinks. Or, maybe not so hidden. A second later, as he watched the hollow, he realized what Shirosaki was doing. If he took that challenge, that would be giving Shirosaki a victory. He'd move into the faster, more violent side, which was exactly what Shirosaki had wanted from the start. He pushed his lips back against the hollow's, hands coming up to rub along the pale shoulders and neck. It was strange, Shuuhei gave a distracted second to think, that a creature so incredibly powerful and strong had such fragile looking skin. The muscles underneath were firm and defined, but the skin covering was so flawless it looked like it might break.

He pulled back, immediately moving down to the hollow's throat and collarbone. He figured, given his earlier reaction, that Shirosaki had a fascination with licking. Playing on that fascination he traced his tongue around the defined muscles, proven right when Shirosaki moaned, hands tightening on his back. He smiled against the skin, continuing his tracing and gradually working his way lower on Shirosaki's torso. He was impressed with the figure, he'd only ever caught glimpses of Ichigo's body on occasion, and he never spent much time around the younger man anyway. It seemed the same, now he was getting the chance to examine it closer. The muscles clenched and trembled with strain under his tongue and hands, as if they'd been tense for too long.

He straightened, kissing Shirosaki again with a bit more force. He drew back after a second, meeting the black and golden eyes. They were glazed, filled with a need. The white chest rose and fell swiftly.

"More…" Shirosaki growled out, nails digging into the cloth protecting his shoulders.

Shuuhei slowly and cautiously pulled Shirosaki down, laying him on his back on the blue windows. He knelt over the hollow, lavishing attention on his torso and neck. The hollow's eyes had cleared slightly when Shuuhei shifted them, but he didn't comment. Shuuhei lowered a hand to the white hakama's ties, undoing the complicated knots. He knew Shirosaki had noticed by the momentary tension, but once again the hollow made no move to stop him, even giving a pleasured groan. Shirosaki's body arched to allow the vice-captain to slide the hakama off his hips and down his legs, baring even more white skin. Shuuhei raised an eyebrow, pausing.

"No underwear?" he asked, an amused note in his voice. "I'd imagine that's not something you share in common with Kurosaki."

Shirosaki giggled, propping himself up to look down at the raven head. "King's too much of a prude to ever do something like that. He'd die of embarrassment. Ya complaining?" The white back snapped into an arch with a strangled cry when Shuuhei's hand closed around the erection, running his hand up and down the length once.

"Hardly. I only found it surprising."

Shirosaki moaned, hands scraping along the blue windows, leaving thin scratches. "S-Stop being… Such a tease." he forced out, trembling slightly under Shuuhei's hand.

Shuuhei leaned forward, glancing upward to check that Shirosaki's head was still thrown back. He took his hand off the hollow's erection, Shirosaki jerked slightly. "If that's what you want." He pressed down on the hollow's hips before lightly licking a trail along Shirosaki's erection, he received a startled gasp before a shaky moan. Despite his words he teased the hollow for a few more seconds before taking the head into his mouth, carefully holding the wiry hips down.

Shirosaki made a half strangled sound, muscles straining against the firm hands. Shuuhei could feel his thighs trembling, he slid his right hand up the white chest to rest the fingers against the hollow's lips. Shirosaki seemed to know what was expected, taking the fingers into his mouth without comment. Shuuhei held back a groan, keeping his fingers in place. That tongue was _sinful_. He removed them after a few seconds and, without removing his mouth from Shirosaki's erection, brought them down to his level. He circled the hollow's opening for a second before pushing in his middle finger, simultaneously sliding lower on Shirosaki's cock.

Shirosaki swore and shuddered, convulsively tightening for a moment. Shuuhei drew back long enough to say, "Relax…" before continuing his attack. He slid the finger in and out a few times, pushing as deep as he could go, before slipping a second finger past the tight ring of muscle. Shirosaki clenched for a second before the tension slipped from him with a twist of Shuuhei's tongue. Shuuhei twisted the fingers for a few times before grinning around Shirosaki's cock when the hollow gave a surprised shout, jerking uncontrollably. He twisted his fingers forward again, receiving another shout that was more pleasured then surprised. He kept the pressure with one finger, pulling the other back to scissor and stretch the opening. He could hear Shirosaki's labored breaths above him, the small sounds that escaped the hollow were almost quiet enough to not be heard.

After a short time he felt the muscles relax and loosen, making the way for a third finger. He stroked Shirosaki's prostrate mercilessly, distracting him from the sting he knew was there. Mewls of need escaped the albino hollow, writhing underneath the vice-captain. He was arched, trying to both push farther into Shuuhei's mouth and back on his fingers at the same time. Shuuhei grinned around the length in his mouth before relaxing his throat, sliding down and deep-throating the hollow in a smooth movement. Shirosaki arched and released a desperate cry of need. His hands scraped at the blue windows, searching desperately for something to cling to. All it took was a firm press to the hollow's prostrate and a simultaneous twist of his tongue and the hollow screamed, back arching almost impossibly, coming hard into Shuuhei's mouth.

Shuuhei swallowed down all of the white cream, pulling back once Shirosaki went limp, chest heaving. "You enjoy that?" he asked, free hand sliding up Shirosaki's hip and waist.

The hollow shuddered, Shuuhei saw the effort it took for him to prop himself up on his elbows to look down at him. His eyes were glazed with still present lust. Shuuhei felt a slight shiver run down his spine at the look the black eyes pinned him with. "You better not be done…" he said by way of answer, a smirk spreading across his slightly bruised lips.

Shuuhei allowed a small smirk of his own, sliding up the hollow's body to kiss him. Shirosaki moaned, mostly submitting to the older man, hands coming up to pry at the sash holding the white kimono together, untying it with only a slight struggle. He pulled it off, throwing it aside. White hands slipped beneath the cloth, pushing it off of Shuuhei's shoulders and roaming the tanned chest. Shirosaki hissed in dissatisfaction when Shuuhei withdrew his fingers to shrug the kimono off, carelessly discarding it. White hands slid along his back and chest, tracing the muscles and ridges.

Shuuhei undid his fondoshi, adding it to the growing pile of clothes. He spared a second to worry about lube, but then realized that Shirosaki was a hollow, he wouldn't mind a little bit of pain. He lowered his hands to pull the hollow's knees up around his hips, leaning down to suck at the white neck. He murmured a soft command for the hollow to relax, which was obeyed, before sheathing himself inside the tight heat in a single thrust. He bit down on the white skin, groaning in restraint, muttering a curse into the skin. Shirosaki's breath caught and he arched slightly, hands gripping the tan shoulders tightly.

Shirosaki relaxed far faster then anyone else he'd ever been with, head arching back, chest heaving. "Move." he demanded, voice rough and strained. Shuuhei slowly pulled out before pushing back in, starting slow and steady to allow the hollow to adjust. Shirosaki whimpered in need, legs clenching around Shuuhei's waist. "_Faster_…"

Shuuhei obliged, speeding his pace, face buried in the white skin of Shirosaki's neck. The hollow was tight around him, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out very long given the foreplay they'd engaged in. He shifted slightly, smirking when Shirosaki jerked and yelped. He angled himself to hit the hollow's prostrate every time, receiving a constant stream of small noises and moans. The hollow was quivering, pulse beating madly in his neck. Shuuhei's pace faltered when he felt the rush of an oncoming orgasm, before he forced himself to continue, panting against the flawless white skin. He lowered a hand to Shirosaki's cock, stroking in time with his thrusts, hand steady even though he was trembling with the need to release. A few strokes were all it took before Shirosaki arched, every muscle clenching, an animalistic howl tearing from his lungs. Shuuhei spared only a second to wince at the claws raking his back before his own orgasm slammed through him. He muffled a scream by biting deep into the shoulder in front of him, hands gripping Shirosaki's waist tight enough to leave bruises.

It took him awhile to gather the strength to move, he slowly pulled out of the hollow, arms trembling from the effort. Shirosaki grunted slightly but didn't move, insistently, but weakly, pulling Shuuhei down to lie next to him. Shuuhei obliged the pull, feeling too tired to protest. Black and golden eyes opened, looking utterly sated and satisfied. The hollow turned on his side, pressing close, head against Shuuhei's chest. Shuuhei curled his arms around the hollow, loosely holding him, burying his nose in the white hair.

"Gotta do this again sometime…" Shirosaki murmured, voice muffled but understandable. "Assuming yer not hallucinating. If ya are, I applaud your imagination." He pressed closer, warm breath teasing the ridges of the muscles across his chest. "Night…"

Shuuhei smiled slightly at the childlike behavior, tightening his grip. "Good night Shirosaki."

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><p>Shuuhei stirred, slowly pulling himself out of the deep blackness. There was a bright light shining down on him and his muscles felt stiff, like he'd been in one place for too long. He groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He squinted till his eyes adjusted, then scanned the room. He was in the fourth division, one of the rooms for longer stay. He grimaced, slowly checking his body for any pains or injuries. Apart from his stiff muscles he seemed fine, nothing he could detect anyway. He very slowly pushed himself up to rest against the wall, having to fight with his muscles to force them to move. He rested there, wincing in pain. He reopened his eyes when the door was softly opened, the meek form of Hanatarou slipping inside.<p>

His eyes widened when he caught sight of Shuuhei, a soft smile breaking onto his face. "Hisagi-fukutaichou! You're awake!" He closed the door behind him, hurrying over. "Are you alright?"

Shuuhei nodded, offering a slight smile in return. "Yeah, just a little stiff." He grimaced, raising one hand to rub his stiff neck. "What happened after I blacked out?"

Hanatarou pulled his arm down, giving him a stern look, before leaning forward, hands pressed flat against his chest. Shuuhei groaned when soothing reiatsu curled into him, loosening his coiled muscles and working out all the kinks. "Kurosaki intervened, he saved your life. We managed to get you back here and start healing you, but you developed an intense fever. You've been unconscious for the better part of a week. It abated yesterday, but we didn't expect you to wake up till tomorrow, late tonight at the earliest." He made a hushing noise, smiling slightly. "And to answer your next question, as soon as Unohana-taichou checks you over you can leave."

"Thank you." Shuuhei said quietly, leaning his head back and letting Hanatarou work on his muscles.

* * *

><p>Shuuhei stepped out of the gate, feeling the gate close behind him. He ran a hand through his hair, not even needing to sweep the area to find who he was looking for. He shunpoed across the small town, approaching the huge reiatsu source that, of course, belonged to Kurosaki Ichigo. He walked up to the younger man's house, glancing through the window of Ichigo's room. The orange haired man was lying on his bed, a book propped on his lap. He knocked once on the window. Ichigo jumped and looked up, brown eyes fixing on him through the glass. He scowled slightly but bookmarked his page, laying the book down and standing. He moved forward, opening his window. He motioned for Shuuhei to come inside, standing aside. Shuuhei took the invitation, climbing through the window and closing it behind him.<p>

Ichigo sighed, hands running through his hair. He looked stressed, Shuuhei was reminded of the fact that he really was incredibly young to be so powerful. "You're alright then, I hoped so. What is it?"

Shuuhei let his eyes roam the younger man, unconsciously mimicking Ichigo, sliding a hand through his black hair. "I heard that I owed you my life, I came to say thank you."

Ichigo shrugged, avoiding Shuuhei's dark eyes. "It's my responsibility, I would have done it for anyone." He walked past the acting captain, Shuuhei thought for only a second before speaking.

"Blue, sideways, skyscrapers…"

There was sudden tension in the room, Shuuhei felt Ichigo's reiatsu grow strangely cold with something close to shock and fear. "W-What? What are you talking about?"

Shuuhei turned, meeting the wide brown eyes. "Shirosaki, does he really exist?" Ichigo seemed frozen, but his hand tightened to white knuckles on the edge of his desk. "He's a white copy of you, blue tongue, black and golden eyes, a really creepy grin." His dark eyes sharpened, pinning Ichigo to the spot. "Does he really exist?"

Ichigo seemed unable to speak for a second, eyes wide as possible. Finally he looked away, eyes fixing on some point across the room. "Yes, he exists." Shuuhei sighed, closing his eyes, hands running through his hair.

"Of course I exist."

Shuuhei's eyes snapped open at the familiar, distorted voice, fixing onto the owner. The hollow sat on the desk behind the orange haired man, amused black and golden eyes fixed on his own dark eyes. Ichigo yelped, jerking sideways and falling heavily on the bed. His brown eyes were more surprised then frightened now. Shirosaki snickered, leaning back slightly.

"You're too easy to scare King, get a spine."

Ichigo's shock vanished in a flash He whipped himself to his feet, gripping the hollow's white gi with his fist. "What the hell are you doing out here Shirosaki? You know the rules!"

Shirosaki snorted, not making any effort to free himself from Ichigo's hold. "Relax King, he already knows about me, we've met before." Ignoring Ichigo's look he grinned, cocking his head slightly. "So Shuuhei, you didn't really think I was a hallucination then? Good for you. You must have realized that I was just a _little _too real for your mind to come up with, huh?"

Shuuhei sighed, letting his dark eyes scan over the white hollow. Shirosaki tilted his head, just a little, but it was enough to see the dark mark of a bruise on the side of his neck. "I figured it was best to be safe, so I checked."

Shirosaki giggled, black and golden eyes holding a touch of insanity in them. "Exactly what part of this is 'safe', Hisagi Shuuhei?" Shuuhei acknowledged the point with a nod and shrug, closing his eyes for a second.

"W-Wait… I'm confused. How do you guys know each other?"

Shuuhei opened his eyes, turning his eyes first to the grinning hollow, then to Ichigo. The younger man's eyes were switching between him and Shirosaki, confused and looking a little annoyed. "It's a long story…"


End file.
